Angella Katatumba is a Ugandan Grade A vocal singer, philanthropist, diplomat and business woman. According to A&R practitioner Bryan Morel Muhumuza, Katatumba is endowed with a distinctive alto voice, vocal power and huge octave counts. It is a classification shared with only United States singers Toni Braxton and Jennifer Holliday. She was recognized by United Nations in 2016 for her millennial inspiring music compositions and extremely unchallenged humanitarian work around Africa and surrounding continents. Katatumba in 2005 also started to professionally record her music in Uganda. So far she has recorded two albums and is working on her third. Katatumba has made singing in English a priority since she started singing in Uganda; this is because she has always had the global market in mind and mostly because of her western upbringing. The first album is titled Peace and has been globally recognised especially for the "For You Gulu" and "Mulago Yaffe" projects. She was one of the judges of the "airtel-trace music star" competition.
Early life and education
Her father was H.E Boney Mwebesa Katatumba and her mother is Ms. Gertrude Katatumba, the proprietor AFK Beauty Clinic Kabalagala. Katatumba has a sister and seven brothers; Rosemary, Allan, Dennis, Rugiirwa, Colin, Ken, Ian and Jay.
She went to primary education in Uganda at the Katatumba Academy, from 1986 to 1994 then went to Belmont Senior Secondary School from 1994 to 1996 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, where she obtained a public relations diploma. She then went to Oxford Brookes University, England, where she got Bachelor of Arts degrees in economics and law from 1996 to 1999. Also at Oxford Brookes University, England she continued on to obtain a Masters in international management / public relations in 1999–2000. After university in England, Katatumba moved to Chicago, Illinois, in the US, where she had several well-paying and prestigious jobs in the hospitality industry. She worked at Buca Di Beppo Restaurant from 2001–2002, Isaac Hayes Restaurant in 2002–2003 also in Chicago and at Majestic Star Casino from 2003–2004 in Chicago Illinois, US, where she was earning up to almost US$100,000 per year with bonuses.
When Katatumba moved back home to Uganda in 2005, she started working as the managing director at her father H.E Dr. Boney Katatumba's Hotel called Hotel Diplomate in Kampala, Uganda. Katatumba is currently the managing director of the hotel.
Awards and recognition
As listed by East Africa's renowned A&R practitioner and consultant Bryan Morel Muhumuza
Invited to attend and perform at the 4th annual African Union Humanitarian Symposium in Nairobi on 28 November – 1 December 2016.
Invited by the office of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to attend and perform at the first-ever world humanitarian summit in Istanbul, Turkey on 24 May 2016.
Selected by the High Commission for the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on August 31, 2012 – To sing both the national anthems of Uganda and Trinidad and Tobago to mark the 50th anniversary of independence of Trinidad and Tobago.
Office of the president on May 12, 2011 – Chose Katatumba to make history by being the first artist to ever accompany the police, army and prisons bands by singing the Uganda National Anthem for the first time ever in front of 13 heads of state.
Deutsche Welle TV February 2011 – Featured on DWTV on the Let's Go Green Campaign's success.
British Council appointed climate change icon in Uganda April 1, 2010 – April 1, 2011 – To use my status as a musician and a humanitarian to promote the awareness of climate change in Uganda.
Al Jazeera TV February 2010 – Featured on Al Jazeera's Hot Spot Program regarding my music career and my For You Gulu Project
VOA November 10, 2009 – Featured on VOA's In Focus regarding my success as a singer
VOA September 22, 2009 – Featured on VOA's In Focus regarding For You Gulu Project
VOA August 29, 2007 – Featured on VOA, Straight Talk Africa, regarding my humanitarian work with For You Gulu Project
CNN October 27, 2006 – Featured on Inside Africa, regarding my humanitarian work with my For You Gulu Project
Last King of Scotland – Played the part of Beautiful Woman Number 1, 2006
Awards:
Starqt Awards – Charity Foundation of the Year 2016
Uganda Entertainment Awards – Humanitarian Award of the Year 2016
CEO Global Awards – Humanitarian Award 2016
Kyambogo Rotaract Award – Humanitarian Award, For You Gulu and Climate Change Projects 2013
Diva Awards – Humanitarian Diva Dec 2010 & Role Model Diva Dec